Second Chance
by Marie the Hedgecat
Summary: Shadow finds a small kitten, but the kitten is more than she seems. One-shot.


A/N: This story popped into my head a bit ago. It's just this cute little thing. Not very long, but still cute. Please read and review.

Disclaimer: Ha! None of my fancharacters are in this one! It's all Sonic Team's characters this time!

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Shadow walked down the lonely street, his head hanging sadly. It was very rainy, the sky filled with dark clouds. Shadow just stared at the ground, noticing numerous leaves and coins. He just left them there seeing no point of taking them. They weren't his, so why should he bother?

Eventually, he heard a soft "Mew...". He looked around, confused, trying to find the source of the sound. He spotted an overturned cardboard box ("Looks like someone bought a new TV..."). He turned the box back over and saw a small, yellowish kitten. The kitten stared at him with it's large, blue eyes and gave another soft "Mew...".

Shadow picked up the kitten, noticing that it had a powder blue ribbon. In sapphire letters, in fancy cursive was the name "Maria". Shadow set the kitten back down and turned away. "Maria? I had a friend named Maria once." he explained, his voice holding a level of saddness. "But she died. A long, long time ago."

He began to walk away, not caring that the kitten was all alone. The kitten followed him, the bell on her ribbon jingling. Shadow looked back to it, annoyed, and let out an agitated sigh.

"Listen, it's cute that you want to be with me." Shadow began. "And I'm sorry that you're stuck in the rain. But I don't want anything to do with you, so could you just go away?"

The kitten looked at Shadow, almost sadly, with her big, blue eyes. She rested her chin on Shadow's foot and purred. She seemed very determined to stay with him. Shadow sighed and picked her back up, holding her carefully in his arms.

"All right. You can stay with me." Shadow groaned. "At least until we find your owner."

Shadow walked a diffrent direction and eventually ended up at a pet store.He set the kitten down to look at some cat food. Maria hopped onto a shelf and began to play with a box. Shadow came over and inspected the box. It had a toy mouse in it. He rolled his eyes and bought it. He also bought cat food, a food dish, a water dish, and a bed for the kitten. (Yes, he forgot a litter box). When he left the store, his hands were full of stuff and Maria walked beside him.

Eventually, Shadow and the kitten got to Shadow's apartment and the dark hedgehog collapsed onto the couch. He was exhausted after carrying all of that cat stuff halfway across Station Square. The kitten jumped onto the couch and laid beside him, her nose against his leg. She purred, causing the black and red hedgehog to smile. He patted her head gently and stood back up to find a place to put her bed. He ended up placing it next to his and he put the food and water bowls in the kitchen. Maria laid down on Shadow's pillow and yawned.

"No. You sleep on _your_ bed." Shadow ordered, pointing to the cat bed on the floor. "You can stay in this building, but you sleep in your own bed, okay?"

Maria looked into Shadow's eyes sadly, trying to convince him to let her stay. Shadow sighed and picked her up, setting her down on her bed. He laid down in his bed and closed his eyes, ready to fall asleep. Not even a minute later, the kitten jumped onto Shadow's chest and curled up. Shaodow stared at her sleepily and groaned. He then noticed a folded paper in her ribbon. He sat up and took it out and unfolded it. It was a photo of Maria. Not the kitten, but _Maria_. Shadow's eyes widened with surprise and he stared at the kitten.

"How'd you-" he began to ask. He then took a closer look at the kitten. She was a little frail, with kind, blue eyes and blonde colored fur. Her bottom paws were white. Her ribbon was a certain shade of blue and the handwriting on the ribbon... "M... Maria?"

The kitten hopped off of Shadow's chest and laid down next to his head on the pillow. She purred contently as Shadow laid back down, stroking her cheek lovingly.

"Thank you for this second chance, Maria." Shadow almost whispered. "I love you."

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Yeah, that's it. I apologize for it being so short. Anyway, please review.


End file.
